“Have you ever felt the universe within you?...”

To anyone else, and probably to most people in the world, these words will most likely mean nothing.

But once upon a time, this question was heard by a young boy in the city of Osaka. Just a boy, like any other, inside an apartment, like any other in the city, with a family gathered for a regular night’s dinner; again, like any other: plates of takoyaki neatly arranged around a table, a T.V., and a kid-friendly show for wholesome family entertainment.

And at this particular time, for this particular boy, this question meant the path his life would irrevocably take thereafter…

“Wow, papa, is this an old show? It looks very different from the shows I watch!”

Mr. Mitsumasa Kido, proud father of a boy of five, turns his gaze to his wide-eyed son, and gives him a kindly smile.

“It’s from when I was young, Saionji. It was one of the greatest things going on at the time, and all the kids wanted to see it back then.”

“Really? What is it about?”

“You know those stories mom tells you before bed? The gods, the heroes and the monsters? Well, something like that. This is the story of the Saints of Athena, holy warriors dedicated to protecting Earth.”

Saionji’s mother Ayaka, a literature teacher in high school, ruffles the boy’s messy hair.

“Tonight, Saionji, I’ll tell you about Athena at bedtime. She is the goddess of war, but only fights when she needs to, for causes that are right. Because she is also the goddess of justice, and helps heroes in their adventures.”

“And in this show, she has a group of guys of great strength and courage that fight for her. Their fists could rend the sky! Their kicks could split the earth! They are the warriors of hope, and they are said to appear when evil runs rampant in the world, to bring the beauty of dawn once more! Now watch, son, and you’ll see how great they are…”

The boy watches, and takes in everything. His eyes become glued to the screen. His mouth opens agape. Every fibre of his growing body feels resonating, yet he can but sit motionless. By the time the show is over, a deep, powerful feeling has firmly taken root - one that will not abandon him.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOW! Papa, that was great! I want to be one of those guys! How do I do that?”

Young Saionji’s mother and father smile at their boy’s fantasy.

“Heh! Do you now? Maybe one day you’ll find a way. You never know what fate has in store for us, but one thing is for certain - sooner or later, all of us find our fate, or rather, it finds us.”

“But no matter when, where, or how your fate finds you, boy, always remember, if you want to do great deeds like the Saints of Athena, there is one thing, and only one thing, you must always remember to do.

Like the Big Bang that made the universe, make the light of your soul burn and explode!”

“Burn… and explode?”

The boy stares at his parents, his eyes the size of the plates on the table. His father leans in and takes his hand, making it into a fist.

“You’ll understand when you grow up, Saionji. There is a power, an inner strength, that every person has, no matter who they are. It’s what makes us human, and sometimes, it allows us to do things that are too difficult, maybe even impossible, to people looking from the outside. That’s what this show has taught me, as well as many other people, and it will teach you that, too.”

“And that, son, is what bringing the dawn means. When all is dark and everything seems dead and lonely, we must find it in ourselves to make things bright once more. To do that, we first have to find that in ourselves.”

Saionji has gone from staring in awe to thinking hard, his nose furrowed and his cheeks puffy. But soon his face changes into a happy, cheerful smile.

“I… I think I understand!”

“I’m sure you do! But now it’s bedtime, isn’t it dear? Come, and I’ll tell you about Athena, goddess of war and justice…”

Later that night, as the boy sleeps peacefully, his dreams are filled with the sights and sounds of the things he has seen, and among them, one particularly stands out: the image of a lion, fierce and strong, and the stars that draw its shape in the universe.

An universe that now lives within him…


Overlooking the city of Reykjavik stands the Esja mountain range, a formation of volcanic rock and ice. Although easily accessible from the city and a popular destination for hikers and climbers, it is at this moment deserted; owing, most certainly, to the chilly wind, and the snow that falls from the sky in the darkness of the early morning, before dawn has begun to break.

Deserted, but for one single, solitary soul.

“Sooner or later, all of us find our fate, or our fate, eventually, finds us. And it seems that my fate has found me right here, in a world of Fire and Ice.”

So says Raion Kido, new addition to the XWF, as he stands tall amidst the white snow-covered ground, the highest peaks of the Esja mountain range at his back. He braves the chill of the mountain air, as there is no outer layer of clothing above his tight-fitting dark blue tank top and his white cargo pants, and his wild hair flutters freely in the cold breeze. He irradiates confidence as he looks at the camera, before once again beginning to speak.

“Allow me to introduce myself. Raion Kido, from Japan. The Lion of Osaka, and the newest member of the XWF roster. A warrior of hope, and the bringer of dawn right here in the XWF’s upcoming Pay-Per-View!”

A very faint ray of sunlight can be seen behind the Esja mountains, as the sun begins to rise.

“And I have just said that my fate has found me, because while I was already seeking it out, it seems to have been faster. For I am called to arms on short notice, as required by House White - white, just like all that can be seen around me.

I’m an honest man, so I’m going to be forthright with you all - I don’t have the slightest idea of why I was called as a replacement. I don’t know what I may gain, or lose, from this fight. But there is one thing I do know.”

Raion focuses his eyes on the camera and, taking a deep breath, before raising his voice and letting out a leonine roar. It was time to make his soul burn.

Burn, and explode.

“I know that House White, the XWF, and all of you watching at home, will be witnesses to the rise of a glorious dawn!”

The roar of Raion is carried as a very slight, but persistent, echo across the mountains, as he leaps down a ridge to a lower rock. Once he does, he points at the camera in a swift motion that seems to cut the very air about him.

“And it looks like the dawn is going to rise over a humble little adder by the name of Xavier Lux. See, I call him an adder, since he seems to have an affinity for poison. From his “Venom” moniker to his “Toxin” and “Cure” moves, and his Disturbed theme song, our poisonous friend has the theme right down. Bet he even bites, too. Ew, that’s disgusting!”

Cocking his head to the side, Raion gives a playful smirk. Regardless of his opponent’s self-perceived image, he wasn’t going to let himself get distracted from what was important. After all, some might say that he was entering this Pay-Per-View through the proverbial window. And if he had to do that, he was going to make sure everyone knew that he was there, and how he had come to be there.

If the fact that he had a place in this show meant nothing, then Raion would show he deserved it.

“But okay, Xavier. Putting that aside, I’ll make the effort to believe you have at least some degree of talent, since you won two matches here so far, against Tommy Gunn first, later against Calypso. But let’s ask ourselves this. Does that speak more about you, or about these people you beat? I mean, you, yourself, told Calypso he was nothing more than enhancement talent, and from the looks of his preparations for the match, he wasn’t even taking you that seriously.

But let’s take it up a notch, shall we? You’re entering a Pay-Per-View, after all, and it’s about time you faced someone with an actual bite.

Someone, like, say… a Lion.”

Raion clenches his fist, as his eyes open wide and his lips peel back to reveal his teeth. If his latest pre-match appearance on the XWF network had been anything to go by, Xavier Lux seemed to be something of a gambler. It was up to Raion, therefore, to raise the stakes - higher than Xavier Lux could even begin to imagine.

“You come to the XWF as part of these so-called Exiles, with the sole purpose of acting as their “enforcer”. Let’s say you have a wealth of experience from other places you compete, or have competed in, and earned titles and accomplishments that must have meant something in their time. Let’s also say, even if I don’t for one second believe that, that you have an excuse to claim that enforcer role for the people you want to impress.

The fact that you’re trying to ride on others’ credit and reputation makes it patently clear that you have none to call your own, which for someone that has purportedly held some gold before is quite frankly depressing. But barring that fact, I say that the situation is different now. I say that you’re coming to a Pay-Per-View match against someone who is making his very debut. Someone who comes out of the indie circuit in Japan - someone that nobody knows, and therefore, someone who is hungry to make a name of himself - and that name is going to come at your expense.

Now imagine, Mr. Venom, that whatever meager reputation those two previous matches you believe have given you is lost in your very first XWF Pay-Per-View against someone that the world didn’t even know existed until, say, five days ago. Someone that the world at large will probably know only when they pay money to see Fire and Ice, here in far-away Iceland, a place that may as well be the end of all known world. Is it sinking in yet, Xavier? Are the consequences of this match clear to you as they are to me? Are you even aware of what you risk losing?”

The Japanese wrestler’s grin now appears savage as he traces with his hands a pattern in the air - ending with his left hand open like a lion’s claw, and his right fist thrust forward at the height of his head. But then, wasn’t savage what he needed to be? Here he was, a virtual non-entity, giving the wrestling world the first glimpse of his existence. Soon enough, that would change, and the change would begin right here - at the very end of the world.


“Xavier Lux! HEAR THE LION’S ROAR!

If it hasn’t dawned on you already, allow me to enlighten you. This match was made under the premise that both you, and I, can deliver. They may think that of you given your two previous victories, if nothing else, but me? No one here has yet seen me wrestle, but they have heard me speak. And apparently, hearing me speak has got them interested, and they’ve been gracious enough to grant me a place in this show. You know how I got that done, Xavier? My sheer force of will, because I mean to make my mark in this place.

You’re facing someone who will burn his very soul to make his impression on you, the people in attendance, the millions watching at home, and the talent and management of the XWF. Someone that comes out of nowhere, and therefore has nothing to lose, but everything to win, and the drive, the hunger, and the talent to do so. Someone who, by the way, has no one and nobody behind him; unlike you, who were enough of a fool to announce in your last message. The name of Raion Kido comes entirely by itself and it needs no so-called “legends”, nor any other name, to stand on its own.

Let that get through your vapid, empty skull as well, once what little consciousness you have recovers once the ref has counted the final three. The moment a young wrestler from Japan pins you, he makes his first mark, a strong one, in a Pay-Per-View of one of the most long-lived and respected wrestling federations in the world, and all that bluster you’ve declared about your group, your “familia”, the people whose name you want to rely on for support? Gone. Flushed down the toilet. Out like the sunlight in the Icelandic winter. You will have used their name in vain, and you will have utterly failed them. And maybe then you’ll honor their name - you’ll become an actual exile, thanks to failing when you were supposed to deliver. And you’ll have no one to blame for that but your own sorry self.

Tell me, Xavier, what will you do then? What would you then have looked like in comparison to me? A veteran of the ring, a former champion if you are to be believed, failing his first serious test in the XWF against a newcomer. The light and the soul of Raion Kido burning you out like a moth in the sun.

The adder’s venom, powerless against the might of the Lion!”

As Raion roars these words, the sun regales its light over the cold landscape of Reykjavik, and the chilly breeze seems to mellow out. But from the XWF wrestler’s body steam seems to emanate, as if he was running hot - and indeed, so he is.

“Is the heat getting to you, Xavier? This is the power of the universe that lives in all of us - the very thing that allows any person, regardless of origin, to perform deeds that may be called a miracle. This is the power that I’m bringing to Fire and Ice, and it’s coming to your very eyes - right before it explodes and burns through your very self!

For your sake, I hope you got it. For your sake, I hope you come at me like your very life was in danger, because you will wish you would have died after what’s coming to you on January 30th - the date that the might of Raion Kido is revealed to the world. Because I assure you, Xavier - maybe they won’t want to see you on Saturday Night Savage - but not for the motives you believe. And I can tell you further, that after what I do to you at Fire and Ice, they are going to want to see me.

And I’m going to tell you something else, Mr. Venom, if you’re not busy hitting on some dealer like this was a casino heist movie. Whatever you did to Jim Caedus may not have been personal to you, but what I’m going to do to you at Fire and Ice is personal to me. Not because of anything you are or do. That, I could care less about. I do this because it’s my duty. I do this because it’s my fate, my natural mandate - it is the Lion’s part to rule the jungle, and the lowly adder’s part to clear the path. Aesop’s tale might have a snake bite a Lion - but your so-called venom is nowhere near enough to fell me.”

Raion shakes his head slowly, his hair moving wildly with each motion. This may be a singles match in a Pay-Per-View, but nevertheless, it’s his chance. Given his circumstances, and those of his opponent, the path to him is clear. If he is to begin his career as a replacement, he will make sure there is a place for him.

“Because there’s simply no way someone like you, with what little you’ve shown so far, can even remotely stand against the likes of me. This is something that everyone across the XWF will see, but on XWF Fire and Ice, Xavier Lux, I’m going to make that clear to you - as clear as the snow at my feet, as clear as the sky above me. And I, Raion Kido, will make sure the dawn will rise exactly as it should - bright and beautiful, a welcome sight as the dawn should be. With the Lion shining bright in the sun…”

Lips peeled back, canines showing, and eyes shining bright, Raion’s smirk vanishes into a feral grimace. He stomps his foot in the ground, the thundering sound of the impact reverberating in the empty air, and swiftly brings his arm down in a thumbs-down sign.

“… and the humble little adder, dying as it should: rotting beneath the earth.”

Dawn has finally broken over Reykjavik, and Raion gives the camera a final stare. As it moves away from him and into the city below, the mountain range at his back grows larger and more imposing - but so too does the figure of the young Lion.

“These are days and nights of venom and blood
Heroes arise as the anchors fall
Brave the strife, reclaim every soul that belongs…
to the Beauty of Dawn.”

Fade to black.